The defending WNBA champions picked up right where they left off last year
and cruised to the best record in the WNBA in 2007. The Shock were so good,
in fact, that they were able to relax in the last week of the season and give
the reserves some more playing time. Detroit won its first seven games and were
24-6 before letting up a bit and coasting in the last week of the regular season.
The Shock were once again led by the super backcourt duo of Deanna
Nolan and Katie Smith,
who combined to average more than 30 points per game. Nolan was the Most Valuable
Player of last year's Finals, but Smith was also instrumental in the run to
winning her first title. Both are capable of playing the point and shooting
the lights out when they get hot.

The tandem may not be able to afford to miss many shots this time around as
All-Star M.V.P. forward Cheryl
Ford missed the second half of the season with an injury and may not be
back for the first round. Her status remained uncertain as of Sunday night,
but it is unlikely that Ford will play in the postseason. Ford, who only played
in 15 games during the regular season, averaged 13.0 points and 11.2 rebounds
per game in limited action. Her absence creates a huge void in the rebounding
department that her teammates will have to compensate for should she not be
able to go.

Gm 1: at N.Y..,
Fri., 8/24, 7:30 p.m. ET NBA TV

Gm 2: at Det.,
Sun., 8/26, 1 p.m. ET. ABC

Gm 3*: at Det.,
Tues., 8/28, 7 p.m. ET. ESPN2

Forward Swin Cash, who spent much
of the past few seasons recovering from injuries, bounced back to average 11.1
ppg and 6.1 rpg. The team captain is a vocal leader and the glue that holds her
star teammates together and even got to rest her legs during these past two weeks.
As good as the starters are, this may also be the deepest team in the WNBA. Reserve
forward Plenette Pierson
is among the league's top Sixth Women (11.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and both starting center
Kara Braxton and 6-8 reserve
center Katie Feenstra poses
matchup problems for the opposition whenever she is in the game. Shannon
Johnson and Elaine Powell
have a great deal of WNBA experience to spell the guards.

From their coaches down to their rookie, they think they can and will win
it all once again, a confidence mixed with talent heading into the Playoffs
that any and all opponents must be wary of.

New York made headlines in the offseason by trading the face of their franchise,
Becky Hammon, to San Antonio for the rights to Jessica
Davenport, the Liberty solidified their investment in the future. In addition
to Davenport, the Liberty also drafted Tiffany
Jackson in the first round to complete the transformation of the new-look
Liberty. But like the Shock, the Liberty got out to one of the best starts of
the WNBA season, shocking the so-called experts and winning their first five
games.

Veteran Erin Thorn, getting
her first chance to be a starter, set an example and paced the Liberty in the
early going by scorching the nets with her 3-point shooting. Third-year forward
Cathrine Kraayeveld
also helped to indoctrinate some of the younger players to New York by showing
her work ethic and do-anything attitude. Point guard Loree
Moore, one of several candidates for Most Improved Player on the Liberty,
played with a maturity that belied her experience and kept things under control
for the first month as well.

But then the Liberty's inexperience began to show. On a team that lacks the
star power, the Liberty then dropped 11 of their next 15 games. They allowed
the Sun to pass them in the standings, then the Sky and Mystics. But the Liberty
managed to stem the tide and win key games down the stretch thanks to their
gritty, hard-working youngsters looking to improve and make names for themselves
in the WNBA. Center Janel
McCarville, who was acquired in the Charlotte Sting Dispersal Draft during
the offseason, arrived late to camp and did not make an impact until midway
through the season. But once she did, she did not look back. McCarville averaged
13.2 ppg and nearly six rebounds per game in the second half of the season.

Despite the fact that the Liberty were the only team without an All-Star this
season, five players averaged in double figures for the season. The last team
to qualify for the postseason, the Liberty may also benefit from not having
let up in the last week of the regular season. They were 6-3 in the month of
August and wins against Chicago, Washington and Detroit in the final few games
of the season may also give them confidence that they can compete with the defending
champs.

2007 Regular Season: Detroit
Shock 2 - New York Liberty 2

Some fast facts about the Shock-Liberty
first-round matchup:

Nolan

Eight different members of the Shock roster have led the
team in scoring this season: Deanna Nolan, Katie Smith, Plenette Pierson,
Cheryl Ford, Swin Cash, Shannon Johnson, Katie Feenstra and even rookie
Ivory Latta. Seven different players were the leading rebounder for
the Shock this season as well. The Shock were not the highest
scoring team in the WNBA this season (they finished third), but their scoring
margin differential was nearly five points per game, best in the league.
That is more than 1.5 ppg better than the Mercury, who finished in
second place. That statistic has proven to be one of the best indicators
of postseason success. The Liberty were the best
3-point shooting team in the WNBA this season, finishing with a 37.3 percent
team average. Loree Moore, Cathrine Kraayeveld, Erin Thorn and Shameka Christon
knocked down combined to hit 200 3-pointers. In just her third WNBA season,
New York's Loree Moore dished out 4.8 assists per game, good enough for
fourth in the league, while also finishing second in the WNBA with 2.27
steals per game. The Liberty had four players
average in double digit scoring, but not one of the starters scored more
than 11.0 ppg. As a starter, Janel McCarville scored 14.1 ppg and grabbed
6.2 rpg, but spent much of the early part of the season as a reserve.